POLITICAL PARTIES

1) I have been looking at political developments all around, and I realise there is a very important question, that is “What is the ultimate objective of any political party”?

2) Of course, one can find it in the party’s mission statement, be it to uplift the people, eradicate poverty, create a free and fair society, or even to champion environmental issues.

3) Those are what the parties aim to do and implement for what it believes to be good for the people and even the country. And no doubt parties do that by virtue of their elected representatives voicing and speaking up on these pet issues in the Parliament and Assemblies. So parties naturally fight to win more seats in any elections in order to have a louder voice in the House.

4) To be really effective in having its platform becoming the agenda and to be implemented in order to benefit the people, will the party be effective in being just in a opposition camp forever? Or will the party be just happy to remain forever in the opposition camp, voicing its suggestions which perhaps its opponents in the government will never ever implement?

5) So ultimately any party will eventually want to form a government of its own, or be part of a government so that it can really be effective. Or put it in other words, no party would wish to be in the opposition camp forever. So parties fight every elections to increase their share of seats, aiming to eventually winning enough to form a government or be a force potent enough to join the government.

6) If the opposition camp is made up of a coalition of parties, and if one party in the coalition gained substantially in an election and was invited to join the government of the day, then things will be very interesting.

7) So under that context, will that party stick to its oppostion allies and remain in the opposition coalition, or will it be attracted to the idea of joining the government. Of course, the party will have many crucial issues to consider, such as its reputation, and its standing in the eyes of its supporters, amongst many other issues. Of course it can also opt for some “middle path” in the name of national interests.

8) There are many lessons in each and every political developments for all people to observe and learn.